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Thursday, 6 July 2017

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Big Spider-Man fan over here, but you guys probably already
knew that. I’ve been quiet on my thoughts for the latest Spider-Man reboot,
trying to keep my expectations at a minimum and not release a mega Spidey post for a film that could have disappointed. I’ve been cautiously optimistic,
I haven’t liked all the decisions made, it was starting to look like Iron Man 4, but Marvel studios have
rarely let me down so it was in good hands. Or was it…

I’m kidding, I believe I can safely say that this is a good
Spider-Man film, not the best ever (Spider-Man
2 will probably never be beaten) but a solid entry into the character’s
history. Read on to find out why.

Back in the capable hands of Marvel Studios, Spider-Man: Homecoming catches up with
Peter Parker post-Civil War, trying
his best to impress ‘Mr Stark’ for a place on The Avengers, dealing with the
dilemmas of High School life whist attempting to stop an underground arms
dealership that’s being run by the deadly Vulture. Tom Holland is back as
Spider-Man and now being supported by Michael Keaton as The Vulture, Jacob
Batalon as Ned Leeds, Laura Harrier as Liz and Zendaya as Michelle. Jon
Watts is now in the directing chair, he proved himself as a capable director
with the small indie film Cop Car and
has transitioned well into blockbusters because he got a Spider-Man reboot
right, not an easy thing to do!

What this film got right that the previous reboot did not is
that it is completely different to what has come before. I was worried about a
Spider-Man who was younger than me but it works, mainly because the cast is so
young as well, so they look the part, but also because this feels like a high
school drama mixed with a superhero film. It’s jarring but it works because it
highlights the struggle Peter Parker has to go through constantly. It also
helps that the soap opera ‘John Hughes’ High School drama is handled very well.
We also get a different Spider-Man to what we’ve seen before, not only is he
young but he’s also hasn’t got a handle on his superpowers, constantly making
mistakes and learning the ropes throughout the entire film. He’s definitely a
very ‘friendly neighbourhood’ Spider-Man because apart from one set piece in
Washington, he pretty much sticks to Queens, so don’t expect Spidey swinging
around skyscrapers just yet. It leaves you excited to see them develop his
character in future films.

With every hero must come a villain and The Vulture I’m
happy to report is great. Michael Keaton kills it as Adrian Toomes and has a
great physical presence in the film, in and out of the costume. The design of
Vulture looks awesome on film and with his wingspan being pretty huge he’s a
scary and intimidating threat when he comes across the wall crawler. He’s not
just another punch bag, he has depth, motivation and a little bit of sympathy
as a working man adapting to the world around him to make ends meet. Easily one
of Marvel’s better villains and on a smaller more grounded scale, something I
hope they keep for new villains in the next instalment.

Tony Stark was another worry of mine, I didn’t like him
being so integral to Spider-Man, making his suit or having too much of a
leading role in his film. Thankfully though he doesn’t outstay his welcome,
this is still very much Peter’s film and he’s still learning about ‘great responsibility’
without Stark. The gadget filled suit looks great but Stark’s involvement isn’t
to my taste still, although there are some great sequences throughout the film
with him testing the suits abilities that come close to redeeming that. Instead
of world building, the film is more interested in placing Spider-Man into the
Marvel Cinematic Universe, so I have to throw away some of my ‘comic book
accuracy nerd annoyance’ and accept that this version is going to be shaped by
a world with super powered beings already inhabiting it and being very present
in his home town. Though any time Spidey needs saving from Iron Man will always
hit a sore spot with me!

Back to the tone of this film, it’s very funny! This is
something we’ve come to expect from Marvel films now but it feels more at home
with Spider-Man. He’s an awkward kid and it comes across and there are a lot of
jokes at his expense. Not all of them land, there’s a lot of emphasis on Aunt May
being hot which came across as little bit creepy rather than funny. There’s a
good ratio of action to down time, and when the action scenes roll out they are
all well done, but there are occasions when Spider-Man looks more like a cartoon
character than something ‘real’ in the scene. The light-hearted nature of the
film is helped along by a good score from Michael Giacchino, it’s not iconic
but it’s different, more playful than other entries in the MCU and differentiates
itself from other heroes, something I hope future MCU films continue.

There are some decisions made in the film that still make me
cringe a bit but revealing them could be considered spoilers so I’ll stay clear
for now. Some of the smaller characters don’t get a lot of development and
Zendaya’s Michelle is very under used to the point where I’m not sure why she’s
such a big part of the marketing. Depending on your age and fondness of high
school dramas, some of the scenes may not be as easily relatable, but for me it
was nice to see a younger perspective in the MCU. Is Tom Holland my Spider-Man?
No (or at least not yet), his character may have been easier to relate to
because of my age but I wasn’t as emotionally invested as I have been before and
this feeling was made apparent near the end of the film, as a ‘classic’ spidey
moment plays out and I wasn’t quite sure if the film had earnt it yet.

The more I talk/write about this film though, the more I
like it. It’s not my favourite Spider-Man film but it’s a solid entry and a
refreshing take on the character that differentiates itself from the films before.
We haven’t seen a fully developed Spider-Man in the MCU but he is a teenager
and has a lot more developing to do, so it’s actually quite exciting to see
where they go with the character next. Who knows, this could be our best
Spider-Man yet, only time will tell. I’m rating Spider-Man: Homecoming a 4/5.

What did you think of the latest (and hopefully last reboot
of the character for some time!) Spider-Man film? Hit the mark or too much
Stark? Let me know in the comments below.